The Orbit

Conversationalist and playlist curator Aaron Whitlatch shares his thoughts on music, joining Twitter, and how in general technology's effects on social situations. As a co-host of the podcast "Talking About Talking About It", Connor and Aaron thought it best to try and cover as many topics as they could. 

Crafter/coder Amira Hailemariam (@amirahaile) and I launch this season tackling no-code platforms, or tools that do the work of programming without looking like your typical programming language. 

Sondre Rasch is a digital nomad - originally from Oslo, Norway, he travels the world as he runs his company, SafetyWing, which provides travel medical insurance for folks who make a living on the internet. He is fascinated by the problems remote workers face, like the way they pick countries like products and how they will need a unique set of benefits that will support them wherever they are. In this interview, we touch on the core ideas behind his business, along with his predictions for the future of work. 

Sahil Lavingia is the CEO and founder of an online selling platform called Gumroad. Sahil was 19 when he left Pinterest to start his own venture, and today his business allows creators to sell their products quickly and easily. Like many of Gumroad's users, Sahil is an artist (he writes and paints). Though his social circles are mostly tech entrepreneurs, his interests lie in creative pursuits and continuous learning. From San Francisco to Utah and now Los Angeles, Sahil is still in the thick of his journey, so we asked him about his overlapping lives in art and business. 

Joann Miller teaches Microsoft Office and other computer skills at an Adult School in the Bay Area. She also happens to be my mother. We talked about the challenges she faces as she tries to provide an affordable service to folks who need certification in order to do their job better. Sometimes it can be difficult to reach students, and other times navigating the public school system can be more complicated than expected. Together, we talk about what folks of all ages need to to in order to be marketable in the economy of tomorrow.

Emily Griffin is an illustrator that does most of her networking on Twitter. Her secret? Being herself. Her art has been featured by Hellogiggles, Tumblr, Glitch, Marie Kondo, and more. With her knack for drawing cute digital comics that have the feel of watercolor, Emily doesn't know where her illustrations will take her next. For the time being, though, it has made her well known in tech circles both in and out of New York City. 

For more info on Emily and her work, check out her website: 

https://www.daybrighten.com/

Moji runs Blule Daisi Consulting, which helps small businesses become more environmentally sustainable. Her venture has been live for six months, and she tells us that a lot of her work is education since some folks don't really know what it means to be "sustainable". Through networking, trash audits, and knowing exactly where your products come from and end up, Moji is inventing her career by focusing on a need that means a lot to her.

MarninSaylor sell their handmade line of toys, Pastry Pets, in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market. Known for their impeccable retail theater, their rich brand identity, and of course the cutest toy you've ever seen, it is sometimes hard to picture how much work Thomas Marnin and Skye Saylor put into their small business. In this interview, we discuss manufacturing, outsourcing, world-building, and business strategy in order to understand the grittier side of what goes into making such a soft, delightful collection of toys. Intrigued? You can find their most recent shop updates on Instagram @MarninSaylor. 

Cordero Core is a jack of all trades. By day he's a computational chemist, and by night he's a baker, an MMA fighter, and an aspiring congressperson. In this interview, we ask him how he pursues his interests and why, in order to figure out how to market and manage ourselves as we navigate our own hobbies and hustles. Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Cordero tells us his strategies, passions, and plans with enthusiasm and focus that is certain to inspire.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Emily Lakehomer works a tech job by day and runs an Instagram vintage shop by night. Under the handle @shopfruitstand, Emily curates 60s & 70s styles with Western flair and ships them across the United States to paying customers. She manages to make her hobby profitable when she finds the time, and hopes one day to open a physical shop using what she learned on this venture. You can find her collections on Instagram, Depop, and Etsy.